System and method of electrolytic deburring for metal pieces

ABSTRACT

A system for electrolytic deburring of metal workpieces includes a power supply case, an electrolyte chamber, an anode, a cathode and a nozzle. The power supply case includes an anode connector and a cathode connector. Electrolyte is received in the electrolyte chamber. The anode holds at least one of workpiece and is immersed in the electrolyte, and electrically connected to the anode connector. The cathode is positioned in the electrolyte chamber and electrically connected to the cathode connector , and at least a part of the cathode is immersed in the electrolyte. The nozzle is positioned in the electrolyte chamber and sprays the electrolyte under pressure to form a vortex and turbulence for deburring metal. The disclosure also supplies a method of electrolytic deburring of metal.

BACKGROUND

1. Technical Field

The present disclosure relates to a system and a method of deburring, particularly to a system and a method of electrolytic deburring for metal workpieces.

2. Description of Related Art

Metal workpieces have burrs remaining after a mechanical machining process. Removal of such burrs makes subsequent handling safer and improves the workpiece appearance. Burrs of the metal workpieces are usually removed by a manual deburring or a machining deburring method. However, the whole procedures of such deburring ways are time consuming. In addition, the burrs may not be removed completely.

Therefore, there is room for improvement in the art.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The components in the drawings are not necessarily drawn to scale, the emphasis instead being placed upon clearly illustrating the principles of the present disclosure. Moreover, in the drawings, like reference numerals designate corresponding parts throughout several views.

FIG. 1 is an isometric view of an embodiment of a system of electrolytic deburring including an electrolyte chamber, a anode, a cathode and a nozzle.

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of the system for electrolytic deburring.

FIG. 3 is an exploded, isometric view of the electrolyte chamber, the anode, the cathode and the nozzle.

FIG. 4 is a flow chart of a method of electrolytic deburring.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

FIGS. 1 and 2 show a system 100 of electrolytic deburring for workpiece 200. The system 100 includes an electrolyte chamber 10, an anode 20 , a cathode 30, a power supply case 40, a filter 50, a heating container 60, a pump 70, a nozzle 80, and a plurality of connecting hoses 90. A liquid (electrolyte 101) is received in the electrolyte chamber 10. The anode 20, the cathode 30 and the nozzle 80 are immersed in the electrolyte 101. The power supply case 40 includes an anode connector 41 and a cathode connector 43. The anode connector 41 is electrically connected to the anode 20, and the cathode connector 43 is electrically connected to the cathode 30. The filter 50 is positioned between the electrolyte chamber 10 and the heating container 60 via the connecting hoses 90 for filtering the electrolyte 101. The pump 70 is connected to the heating container 60 and the nozzle 80 via the connecting hoses 90 for pressurizing the electrolyte 101 heated by the heating container 60. The electrolyte 101 delivered from the pump 60 is sprayed into the electrolyte chamber 10 by the nozzle 80, which also functions to create turbulence in the electrolyte.

Also referring to FIG. 3, the electrolyte chamber 10 is a closed and hollow chamber. The electrolyte chamber 10 includes an electrolyte receiver 11 and a protective cover 13. The electrolyte receiver 11 is substantially rectangular. The electrolyte 101 is received in the electrolyte receiver 10. In the illustrated embodiment, the electrolyte 101 is a salt solution of low concentration, and the pH value range is from about 9 to about 11. In other embodiments, the protective cover 13 is omitted.

The anode 20 is a substantially cubic platform received in the electrolyte receiver 11. A U-shaped passing groove 211 is defined in a bottom of the anode 20. Thus, the electrolyte 101 flows easily into the electrolyte chamber 10 via the U-shaped passing groove 211. The workpiece 200 is supported on the anode 20.

The cathode 30 is positioned in the electrolyte chamber 10 above the anode 20. The cathode 30 includes a connecting portion 31 and a mounting portion 33 connecting and communicating with the connecting portion 31. The mounting portion 33 is immersed in the electrolyte 101. In other embodiments, the whole cathode 30 may be immersed in the electrolyte 101.

The power supply case 40 supplies electrical current to the electrolyte chamber 10 and the cathode 30. The anode connector 41 and the cathode connector 43 are mounted on the power supply case 40. The anode connector 41 is electrically connected with the anode 20 to form a conducting pin. The cathode connector 43 is electrically connected to the cathode 30 to form a conducting pin. In the illustrated embodiment, the voltage range supplied by the power supply case 40 is from about 5 to about 24 volts.

The filter 50 communicates with the electrolyte receiver 11 via a connecting hose 90, for filtering the electrolyte 101 delivered from the electrolyte receiver 11. The filtering of the electrolyte 101 avoids damage to the workpiece 200 during the cycle.

The heating container 60 communicates with the filter 50 by a connecting hose 90 for heating the electrolyte 101, drawn through the filter 50, to a suitable temperature for electrolyte reaction. The preferable temperature range for electrolyte 101 is from about 50 to about 70 Celsius degrees

The pump 70 is connected to the heating container 60 and the cathode 30. The electrolyte 101 drawn from the heating container 60 is pressured by the pump 70 to increase velocity of the flow. Thus, a reaction time of the electrolytic reaction is shortened to avoid the size of the workpiece 200 having an effect on the processing time. In the illustrated embodiment, the pressure range applied by the pump 70 is from about 2 to about 6 Mpa.

The nozzle 80 is mounted between the mounting portion 33 and the workpiece 200. The nozzle 80 is immersed into the electrolyte 101 in the electrolyte receiver 11. The nozzle 80 is trumpet-shaped. The trumpet-shaped nozzle 80 sprays the electrolyte 101 firstly pressured by the pump 70, so that a vortex is formed in the electrolyte receiver 10 and extreme turbulence results. The vortex and turbulence exerts forces on the burrs of the workpiece 200 to help remove the burrs. In the illustrated embodiment, a distance range between the nozzle 80 and the workpiece 200 is about 1 to about 10 centimeters. In other embodiments, the nozzle 80 may be other shapes, the nozzle 80 and the cathode 30 can be mounted on a movable device (not shown), or only the nozzle 80 can be mounted on the movable device for spraying while moving along a path.

The system 100 further includes a pressure gauge (not shown) and a plurality of valves to monitor and control the system 100.

In assembly, the anode 20 and the cathode 30 are positioned in the electrolyte chamber 10. The anode 20 is electrically connected to the anode connecter 41 The electrolyte chamber 10, the filter 50, the heating container 60, the pump 70 and the cathode 30 are connected in that order via the plurality of connecting hoses 90 to form a recycling system. The nozzle 80 is mounted on the mounting portion 33. The cathode 30 is electrically connected to the cathode connecter 43.

The electrolyte 101 is poured into the electrolyte receiver 11 and the heating container 60. The nozzle 80 is immersed in the electrolyte 101 together with the mounting portion 33. The workpiece 200 is supported by the anode 20, and is immersed in the electrolyte 101. The power supply case 40 provides electrical current between its anode connector 41 and the cathode connector 43. The electrolyte reaction occurs in the electrolyte chamber 10. Because the current density in the burrs, edges and corners of the workpiece 200 is higher than other portions of the workpiece 200, the burrs are quickly electrochemically removed. In the illustrated embodiment, the duration of the electrolyte reaction is from about 10 to about 120 seconds. The nozzle 80 sprays the pressured electrolyte 101 to form the vortex and turbulence. The workpiece 200 is taken from the electrolyte chamber 10 and cleaned after deburring process. In the cycle system 100, the electrolyte 101 taken from the electrolyte chamber 10 is filtered by the filter 50. Then the electrolyte 101 is heated by the heating container 60 after filtering. In other embodiments, the electrolyte 101 may be filtered after some time.

FIG. 4 shows a flowchart of a method for electrolytic deburring of metal workpieces 200. The method includes steps as follows:

Step 401: The system 100 of electrolytic deburring for metal workpieces 200 is provided.

Step 402: The workpiece 200 is placed on the anode 20, and is immersed in the liquid electrolyte 101.

Step 403: The electrical current is applied between the anode connector 41 and the cathode connector 43 by the power supply case 40, the electrolytic reaction takes place to remove burrs of the workpiece 200, and the electrolyte 101 drawn from the electrolyte chamber 10 is sprayed to form a vortex and turbulence by the nozzle 80.

Step 404: The workpiece 200 is taken from the electrolyte chamber 100 after deburring, and then is cleaned.

In the present disclosure, the burrs are removed during the electrolytic reaction. The vortexes and turbulence formed by the nozzle 80 apply pressure to the burrs to help remove burrs of the workpiece 200 cleanly and efficiency. The pump 70 applies pressure to the electrolytic 101 to the velocity and force of the electrolytic 101 flow, and the time of the electrolytic reaction is shortened. The electrolytic 101 is heated by the heating container 60 to a suitable temperature for electrolytic reaction. The filter 50 filters the electrolytic 101, then the electrolytic 101 can be recycled to save resources. In addition, the U-shaped passing groove 211 is formed on the anode 20 for maximum effectiveness in the flow of the electrolytic 101 in the electrolyte chamber 10.

In other embodiments, the nozzle 80 is directly positioned above the electrolytic 101 of the electrolytic room 10 for directly spraying electrolytic 101.

In other embodiments, the nozzle 80 can be directly connected and connected to the pump 70 by the connecting hose 90, and the cathode 30 can be directly connected to the cathode connector 43.

It is believed that the present embodiments and their advantages will be understood from the foregoing description, and it will be apparent that various changes may be made thereto without departing from the spirit and scope of the embodiments or sacrificing all of its material advantages. 

What is claimed is:
 1. A system of electrolytic deburring for metal workpieces, the system comprising: a power supply case comprising an anode connector and a cathode connector; an electrolyte chamber for receiving an electrolyte; an anode positioned in the electrolyte chamber for supporting at least one of the metal workpiece, immersed in the electrolyte, and electrically connected to the anode connector; a cathode positioned in the electrolyte chamber and electrically connected to the cathode connector , and at least a part of the cathode being immersed in the electrolyte; and a nozzle positioned in the electrolyte chamber, for spraying the electrolyte to create a turbulence and vortex in the electrolyte chamber for deburring.
 2. The system of claim 1, wherein the system further comprises a pump and a plurality of connecting hoses, the pump is connected and communicated between the nozzle and the electrolyte chamber via the connecting hoses, for pressuring the electrolyte drawn from the electrolyte chamber.
 3. The system of claim 2, wherein a pressure range applied by the pump is from about 2 to about 6 MPa.
 4. The system of the claim 1, wherein the system further comprises a filter and a plurality of connecting hoses, the filter is connected and communicated between the nozzle and the electrolyte chamber via the connecting hoses to filter the electrolyte drawn from the electrolyte chamber.
 5. The system of the claim 1, wherein the system further comprises a heating container and a plurality of connecting hoses, the heating container is connected and communicated between the nozzle and the electrolyte chamber via the connecting hoses for heating the electrolyte.
 6. The system of claim 5, wherein a temperature range for the electrolyte heated by the heating container is from about 50 to about 70 Celsius degrees.
 7. The system of claim 1, wherein a distance range between the nozzle and the workpiece is about 1 to about 10 centimeters.
 8. The system of claim 1, wherein a voltage range supplied by the power supply case is from about 5 to about 24 volts.
 9. The system of claim 1, wherein the system further comprises a plurality of connecting hoses, the electrolyte chamber comprises an electrolyte receiver and a protective cover positioned on the electrolyte receiver, the electrolyte is received in the electrolyte receiver, the nozzle and the electrolyte receiver are connected and communicated by the connecting hoses.
 10. A method of electrolytic deburring for metal workpieces, comprising: providing a system, the system comprising: a power supply case comprising an anode connector and a cathode connector, an electrolyte chamber receiving electrolyte; a anode positioned in the electrolyte chamber for holding a workpiece, immersed in the electrolyte, and electrically connected to the anode connector; a cathode positioned in the electrolyte chamber and electrically connected to the cathode connector, and at least a part of the cathode immersed in the electrolyte; placing one of the workpieces on the anode and immersing the workpiece in the electrolyte; applying a current to the electrolyte chamber via the power supply case and spraying the electrolyte by the nozzle to the workpiece, wherein an electrolytic reaction happens in the electrolyte chamber, and an electrolyte vortex is formed in the electrolyte chamber for deburring.
 11. The method of claim 10, wherein the system further comprises a pump and a plurality of connecting hoses, the pump is connected and communicated between the nozzle and the electrolyte chamber via the connecting hoses, for pressuring the electrolyte drawn from the electrolyte chamber.
 12. The method of claim 11, wherein a pressure range applied by the pump is from about 2 to about 6 MPa.
 13. The method of claim 10, wherein the system further comprises a filter and a plurality of connecting hoses, the filter is connected and communicated between the nozzle and the electrolyte chamber via the connecting hoses to filter the electrolyte drawn from the electrolyte chamber.
 14. The method of claim 10, wherein the system further comprises a heating container and a plurality of connecting hoses, the container is connected and communicated between the nozzle and the electrolyte chamber via the connecting hoses for heating the electrolyte.
 15. The method of claim 10, wherein a preferable temperature range for electrolyte heated by the heating container is from about 50 to about 70 Celsius degrees.
 16. The method of claim 10, wherein a preferable distance range between the nozzle 80 and the workpiece is about 1 to about 10 centimeters.
 17. The method of claim 10, wherein a preferable voltage range supplied by the power supply case is from about 5 to about 24 volts.
 18. The method of claim 10, wherein the electrolyte chamber comprises an electrolyte receiver and a protective cover positioned on the electrolyte receiver, the electrolyte is received in the electrolyte receiver. 